


Collateral Damage

by Kaatyr



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe, Audio Format: MP3, Gen, One Shot, Podfic Available
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:46:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25565338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaatyr/pseuds/Kaatyr
Summary: “Where do they take the children?”Leorio licked his lips, tasting blood. The calm, reasonable voice addressing him provided no reassurance. His head hurt, his face stung and his body ached.And he waspissed off.
Relationships: Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight
Kudos: 14





	Collateral Damage

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter is available in audio form for those who would prefer to listen rather than read. Please note that this is a text to speech recording, which means that there may be some issues with it.
> 
> [Stream or download MP3 from Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r2ECu108bMHfAtNScr8DS-WVQKSeYL5_/view?usp=sharing)

“Where do they take the children?”

Leorio licked his lips, tasting blood. The calm, reasonable voice addressing him provided no reassurance. His head hurt, his face stung and his body ached.

And he was _pissed off_.

“What kids?” Leorio demanded. “Listen, you bastard, I don’t—“

A sharp burn across his cheek cut Leorio off mid-sentence. Leorio spat and cursed, tears drawn from his eyes. That fucking hurt.

“You treat them. You must know.”

“I… what? Hey, those kids just go home. They—“

This time it was the voice that cut him off, cold and matter-of-fact.

“They disappear.”

Leorio struggled to think through the pain. That couldn’t be right. He shook his head, wishing that he could wipe his face. With his arms chained securely to the chair he was sitting in, that was impossible, though.

The only light source in the room had been placed directly behind his interrogator, making it impossible to see their face. All Leorio could tell about them was that they were short and nasty.

“Look, it’s a charity, goddamn it. They hire doctors to treat orphans, that’s it,” Leorio insisted. “I don’t know where you got—“

Another sharp pain in his cheek. Leorio didn’t bother moderating his swearing. He was long past being civil with this bastard. They just did not get it.

“Fucking stop that! Why would I lie to you?” Leorio barked.

“Because you’re afraid of your boss, because you think you can fool me, because you’re an idiot… should I go on?”

Leorio scowled. “Asshole. I’m just a med student, for fucks sake. Whatever shit you’ve got with my boss is your business. Why are you dragging me into it?”

Leorio was trying to sound forceful and unintimidated, but the truth was that he was beginning to wonder if he was going to get out of this alive. His interrogator didn’t seem willing to budge an inch. They thought that Leorio knew something and they weren’t willing to hear anything different.

“You really must be stupid.”

“Thanks, glad we’ve got that clear,” Leorio snapped sarcastically. “And you’re a bastard, just for the record, y’know. Since we’re sharing assumptions here.”

The shadowed figure shifted. Leorio flinched, eyes reflexively closing to protect them from another blow, but none came.

“Is he telling the truth?”

“It seems so.”

Leorio opened his eyes and turned his head toward the new, very feminine voice. Someone was standing against the wall, someone even shorter than his interrogator. A woman? Leorio hadn’t noticed them until now. In all fairness, the bastard in front of him hadn’t really given him much of an opportunity to take in his surroundings properly. Leorio wanted to yank that chain they were using to strike his face out of their hands and give _them_ a proper taste of it.

“Okay, great. Can I go now?” Leorio demanded.

“Not yet.”

Leorio growled as the two figures left the room. As the door clicked shut behind them, he pulled at the chains binding his arms but they didn’t loosen in the slightest.

“Shit,” Leorio muttered. He should have known that the job was too good to be true. He’d been offered too much money. Initially, he’d assumed that the charity’s wealthy benefactors had simply been generous, but now he had to wonder if there was another reason for the large pay packet.

When Leorio had accepted the job, he’d really only been thinking about how much that regular income would help with his studies. He was still a student and could barely afford the necessities. His studies didn’t allow him much extra time to work, but a job where he got to work alongside other medical students and young doctors and get paid well for it was perfect.

Now, however… missing kids?

As much as Leorio wanted to dismiss his abductor as mistaken, deluded or insane, a small part of his brain couldn’t quite believe that entirely.

Missing kids?

Leorio had never questioned where the kids went when they were discharged from the ward. To foster families, he’d assumed. Was he wrong? What if there really was something shady going on?

Could he simply ignore his interrogator’s claims? Continue to go about his work as if nothing had happened? If his interrogator did actually let him go?

Maybe it was too soon to worry about that. If the bastard decided to kill him, then Leorio’s conscience would no longer be a problem for anyone.

Minutes might have passed, or hours. Leorio had no way of measuring the time except through his own breaths and heart beats. However, counting those didn’t help as Leorio was sure that he lost consciousness a few times. He tried shouting, but that garnered him nothing but a sore throat.

Leorio was woken from another bout of unconsciousness by the sound of chains clinking onto the floor. He blinked blearily at the person removing the chains from his arms. All he could make out was a black suit jacket.

“‘Bout friggin’ time,” Leorio griped. “The room service here sucks, y’know. Should do something about that.”

“I’ve never had anybody live to complain about it before,” was the dry response from his interrogator.

“Oh, that’s reassuring,” Leorio answered sarcastically. As one arm was completely loosed, Leorio considered punching his abductor. He really wanted to, but he decided to at least wait until his other arm was free. He was too tired and sore to do the work for himself.

And he’d absolutely kill for a glass of water. And a bath. And a bed. And, well, just to be out of here. Way, way out of here.

“What are you gonna do with me now?” Leorio inquired as his interrogator worked on his other arm.

“Let you go, I suppose. You don’t know enough to be a threat to me, anyway.”

Still so cold and detached. Leorio felt a chill run up his spine.

“What if I tell my boss about you?” he inquired.

“Tell him what? Tell him you were kidnapped and questioned regarding alleged suspicious activity he might or might not have engaged in? If he’s innocent—doubtful as that is—then he won’t care much. If he’s guilty, then you’d probably have just signed your own death warrant.”

The last of the chains cluttered noisily to the floor. Leorio wiped at the grime on his face with his shirt sleeve. Shit, his face was gonna be a sight. Sure to scare the kids.

“You’ve got a good point there,” he had to admit, grudgingly. He didn’t want to give his abductor credit for anything, but their reasoning was sound.

“I’m glad you understand that.”

The figure straightened. Leorio still couldn’t get a good look at their face, though he suspected now that they were likely male.

“Can you stand?”

“Probably.”

Leorio levered himself up from the chair, stiff muscles strongly protesting. He had to steady himself against his interrogator.

“You can clean yourself up and have something to eat. After that, you’ll be free to leave.”

Leorio blinked in surprise as he tested his footing, careful to avoid tripping over the scattered chains on the ground.

“That’s it?” he asked. “You’re really gonna just let me go?”

“I have assessed the risk and, for various reasons I won’t discuss, I feel that it is the most beneficial option.”

“Y’know, I get the impression that you’re an arrogant, know-it-all asshole,” Leorio told him.

A quiet laugh met his ears. “I get the impression that you have a death wish,” his interrogator replied. “Insulting your captor is probably not the best course of action to take if you want to survive.”

“You think I give a shit about what you think?” Leorio demanded. “A meal is the least you owe me, you bastard. If you want me to be nice, you’re gonna have to do a _lot_ better than that.”

The door that Leorio was helped through led to a well-lit hall. Leorio’s eyes widened. This was no cheap apartment complex or secluded warehouse. This looked like some kind of mansion.

Leorio turned to study his abductor. The first thing he noted was the almost shoulder-length blond hair brushing the black suit jacket. His interrogator was looking ahead, his arm around Leorio as he supported him. His slight frame was deceptive. He didn’t waver, despite the fact that he was supporting an adult male.

“Nice place,” Leorio offered. “Who did you kill to get it?”

“I could tell you, but then I really would have to kill you.”

Leorio decided not to reply to that. He couldn’t tell if the short man was joking or not. Maybe he actually had killed someone to get this place. It seemed all too likely.

Leorio was guided into what appeared to be some sort of guest suite. He sank down onto the sofa with relief. So much more comfortable than that wooden chair.

“I’ll go get the med kit. Stay here.”

Leorio looked up, suddenly realising that he hadn’t gotten a good look at his abductor’s face yet, but the blond was already heading for the door. Leorio watched him vanish through it before leaning back and closing his eyes.

He was just beginning to think that he might make it out of this alive after all.

His abductor returned a few minutes later, white box in his arms. He set it down on the coffee table and perched next to Leorio on the sofa.

“If you’re gonna torture people, you should probably have that closer to hand,” Leorio suggested.

“You’re assuming I want them to live,” returned the blond.

“Can’t get anything out of a corpse,” Leorio snapped back, feeling his anger rise again. It was a stupid argument and he knew it, but he wanted to lash out anyway. This guy hadn’t even apologised yet.

“Hold still.”

The blond began cleaning the blood from his face. Leorio hissed at the pain. There was nothing broken, he was sure, and probably no cuts deep enough to require stitches, but damn he was going to have some swelling and bruises.

His abductor hadn’t really been trying to seriously hurt him, Leorio realised. Scare him, definitely. Make him think that he was going to get seriously hurt, but that was all.

“You suspected that I didn’t know anything, didn’t you?” Leorio accused.

The blond lowered the cloth he’d been using to dab Leorio’s cheek. For the first time, he looked taken aback.

“I was not certain,” he admitted. “It seemed likely that you didn’t know anything, but I had to make sure.”

“Bullshit,” Leorio said. “I’m not stupid, you know. What’s really going on here? If you didn’t think I knew anything, then why bother with all of this? What do you really want from me?”

The blond chuckled. Leorio wanted to punch him.

“I wasn’t planning on getting to that just yet, but since you’ve brought it up, anyway… I’ve been watching your boss for some time, and you as well. I noticed that you genuinely seemed to care about the children in your care. I was hoping that perhaps you could be persuaded to help me.” A sheepish smile dawned on his face. “Actually I was planning something more along the lines of blackmail.”

Blackmail. That definitely didn’t surprise Leorio at all.

“Why would I help you?” Leorio asked warily. Surely the blond wouldn’t have abducted him in the first place if he had any doubt of Leorio’s cooperation… unless murder really had been on the table. Leorio shuddered.

“Like I said, you care about those children. Admit it. If I let you go now, no strings attached, you’d investigate my claims anyway. You wouldn’t be able to let it go.”

Shit. The blond had him there.

“So, why not work with me instead of doing it all on your own? I have access to resources and funds that you don’t. Doing it on your own would be reckless.”

Leorio laughed. He reached for the med kit and began to search for some pain pills. “You kidnapped and hurt me,” he pointed out as he found a bottle with a label he recognised. Prescription meds, too. Good stuff. “Why would I work with someone willing to stoop that low?”

“Because those you will pit yourself against will stoop far lower,” was the blond’s even response.

“Water, please,” Leorio said, shaking out a few pills onto his palm. He glanced over the bruises on his wrists. They had been caused by his struggles in the chains. He’d be sticking with long-sleeved shirts for a while.

His abductor obliged his request for water, filling a cup from a dispenser across the room. Leorio downed two of the pills, a dose that would dull the pain while still allowing him to function.

“Are you really sure that something shady is going on?” Leorio asked.

The blond sat with crossed legs next to Leorio, his hand rising to his chin. “4 out of 10 children disappear without a trace after their ailments are treated by that charity,” he said. “I cannot find any trace of them after they leave that facility. Your boss also has some suspicious connections with the Mafia.”

“I feel like an idiot,” Leorio muttered. “I should’ve known that something about the job wasn’t right. The money was too good. If they had that much money to throw around, why not get real doctors instead of med students?”

“Med students are more easily bribed and can be made to disappear more easily than a prominent doctor,” the blond said.

“Thought about that yourself, have you?” Leorio asked sarcastically. “Does it strike you that you’re not much different from them?”

“That makes me the perfect person to take them down.”

And still, something wasn’t sitting right with Leorio about this situation. His own motivation for getting involved was clear. He _did_ care about those kids. But what did the blond care about? Why was he getting involved?

“What’s your stake in this?” Leorio asked. “Why are you doing all of this?”

The blond’s lips turned down. He really was pretty, Leorio had to admit. Kind of delicate and angelic. Yet… Leorio’s eyes strayed to his hands, which were now resting on his lap. He was dangerous, too. Leorio had no doubt that, if he pushed the blond to violence, Leorio would come off second-best despite his height advantage.

“My reasons aren’t as noble as yours, I’m afraid, though I doubt that would surprise you.” His mouth formed into a bitter smile. “I want revenge. It’s that simple.”

“Revenge for what?”

Leorio’s curiosity went unsatisfied as the blond shook his head. “I am not willing to say right now,” he said. “Maybe I’ll tell you some other time, if you accept my offer.”

So, he’d be working with someone cold-blooded, ruthless and calculating, someone whose goals might not necessarily line up with his. What if the blond had to choose between pursuing his revenge or saving the kids?

But, whatever decision Leorio made, the blond would continue to pursue the matter anyway, with or without Leorio’s help. Leorio could wash his hands of it entirely. Quit his job and forget about it, leave the blond to his crusade.

But that wouldn’t save those kids.

The blond watched him, grey eyes hiding a ticking mind. There was a confident air about him, as if he’d already worked everything out. As if he knew the decision Leorio was going to make.

And Leorio had to admit that he was probably just that predictable.

“I suppose we might be able to come to some sort of arrangement,” he hedged. “Maybe an exchange of information?”

“That sounds acceptable,” the blond agreed, a little too readily for Leorio to be entirely comfortable with it.

Leorio couldn’t promise much more than that. He had no idea what he was getting into. All he wanted was to be a doctor and save those kids, not be some kind of crime fighter or secret agent. His new partner could handle that shit. He was clearly better suited for it.

“What’s your name, anyway? I suppose you know mine, since you’ve been watching me, but I don’t know anything about you.”

“My name is Kurapika. There are others working with me, but right now, you don’t need to know who they are.”

“I think I deserve full disclosure,” Leorio grumbled.

“No, you don’t,” came the blunt, uncompromising answer.

“Well, at the very least, I deserve dinner,” Leorio shot back. “You said there’d be food, right? Shitty room service…”

* * *

Melody met Kurapika as he left his new accomplice alone to fetch the promised meal. He looked decidedly put-out, which pleased Melody. It meant that Kurapika must be getting along quite decently with their new ally.

“Did he agree?” she asked.

“You already know,” Kurapika said as he strode down the hall. Despite his longer stride, Melody kept up with him easily. “You were listening, weren’t you?”

“I was,” she agreed unapologetically. “But, do you think he’s the right choice?”

“We’ve already been over this, Melody.” Kurapika directed a thin-lipped look her way. “I think that he has what it takes.”

Melody fell silent. She wished that she could see whatever Kurapika apparently saw in the young med student, but it was invisible to her.

“We could be ruining his future, and perhaps ending his life prematurely,” she eventually pointed out. “What you’re doing isn’t fair, Kurapika. The rest of us understand the danger and chose this path on our own. Mr Paladiknight is essentially being lured into it.” ‘Tricked’ might have been a more accurate word, but Melody didn’t want to offend Kurapika. Her point would hopefully get across anyway.

“He’s stronger than you think,” Kurapika said stubbornly.

“It’s his compassion that worries me,” Melody murmured.

Kurapika didn’t answer, though his face had softened with worry.

He was only seventeen, yet he had already proven himself to be intelligent, driven and resilient. But he had a very uncompromising view of the world and a self-destructive streak that deeply concerned Melody. He was also 100% focused on his goal and had a tendency to be blind to everything else going on around him.

Where Kurapika walked, he left a trail of bloody footprints behind him.

Melody could easily see the kind young student getting hurt as a consequence of Kurapika’s tunnel vision. She hoped that Kurapika was right about him, and he was as strong as Kurapika believed him to be.

He would need to be, or else he would be torn apart in the storm of Kurapika’s anger, collateral damage in a merciless vendetta already steeped in blood.


End file.
